


While You Were Away

by ebethoboi888999888



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Carrows Reign at Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23598343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebethoboi888999888/pseuds/ebethoboi888999888
Summary: While Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger searched the world for horcruxes, hundreds of young witches and wizards continued the fight at Hogwarts, at risk to themselves and their families. Here are their stories.These are one-shots set within the Deathly Hallows from multiple perspectives. Some of them are direct scenes from the book from someone else's perspective, some are referenced scenes fleshed out, some are based off of other stories of this nature, and some are completely my own creation.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood & Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom & Ginny Weasley, Seamus Finnigan & Neville Longbottom
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. The Hogwarts Express

**Author's Note:**

> These are not necessarily in order, but I will do my best to make the timeline obvious.

**NEVILLE**

The train ride to Hogwarts was teeming with tension. Already it was easy to see the hole left muggle-borns and those in hiding. There were a few muggle-borns who managed to escape the onslaught by forging papers connecting them to a large wizarding family. 

Honestly, Neville’s routine didn’t change much. He wandered the train until he found Luna and Ginny’s compartment. 

Luna didn’t look much different, except that her serene stare looked a bit more haunted than usual. Ginny’s change over the summer evident. Her hair was longer and her eyes were darker. She was looking out the window with a forlorn expression. 

But when she noticed his presence, she turned to him with a weary smile. “Hello, Nev. Have a good summer?”

“Not bad, you?”

She snorted. “Most of it was okay.”

She didn’t need to elaborate. He already knew. The letter Luna had managed to get him retold the story of Ginny’s oldest brother’s wedding. Ginny hadn’t contacted him after, but he figured it was because their house was under constant watch. He sat down next to Luna. She nodded to him peacefully, but he could see the wheels turning in her head. 

The compartment door slid open.

“Hi...um, can I sit here.” Seamus said awkwardly. 

“Yeah, sure.” Neville said. Ginny slid over to allow him space next to her. 

“I, uh, Dean’s not coming back this year.” Seamus declared, not really to anyone in particular. 

Ginny nodded grimly. “I don’t think Hermione is either.”

“I didn’t notice Ron on the train.” Neville said carefully. 

She stared him directly in the eyes. “He has spattergroit. He’ll be stuck at him for most of the year. It’s very contagious, but hopefully he’ll recover.”

Seamus sighed, understanding reflecting in his eyes. “Guess it's just you and me this year, Neville.”

He forced a smile. Out of everyone at Hogwarts, the other boys in his dormitory had been the nicest to him. They always included him when they hung out all together in their room and rarely ignored him in the halls. But it had been difficult at times. There was Ron and Harry and then Seamus and Dean and then just him. He didn’t have his own mate, his matched set. They had never been rude, but there had always been lines between them. It was rough the first few years, but better once he found his own friends, his own niche in the castle. But now the axis of their collective world had shifted. 

Seamus lowered his voice. “Ginny, that was them at the Ministry, right?”

To her credit, Ginny’s face was blank. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t worry about it, mate.” Neville spoke up, warning him with a narrowed expression. “Luna, have you got a new issue of the Quibbler on you?”

“Of course.” She said lightly and produced it from the beaded bag beside her. 

Harry Potter’s smiling face gleamed at him from the cover. It was his Triwizard Tournament photo so Neville could see the pained annoyance in his eyes. He was much younger, too, than how he was now. This was before everything became so much more real. When even the concept of life and death seemed more abstract. 

“He looks like a show pig in that picture.” Ginny said dryly. 

“Well, there’s not many public photos of Harry.” Luna explained. “Daddy’s been working on building up a collection. He was planning on asking your mother for a few.”

Ginny made a strained sound in her throat. 

“Luna, do you think you could get me a subscription?” Seamus asked. “Strange as it is, seems like the Quibbler’s the only reliable source of information now. Even my mam thinks the Prophet has gone to the dogs.”

“I’m sure Daddy can get you a discount.”

They fell into a comfortable, if tense, silence after that. The British countryside passed in a blur outside the train. Suddenly, they came to an abrupt stop. 

“We can’t be there yet.” Ginny said, craning her neck to look out the window. “It looks like someone’s boarding the train.”

Seamus shivered. “Not dementors again.”

“No, it looks like--” Her eyes went wide and she fell stiffly back in her seat. “Stay silent and don’t move.”

“Who--”

“Death Eaters.”

Voice could be heard traveling up the car, followed by stomping. Neville squirmed in his seat. It felt like bugs were crawling down his back. 

The door slid open with a thud. A tall masked Death Eater surveyed the compartment. 

“You, Weasley.” He barked. “Where’s your brother?”

“He’s ill. The Ministry has already investigated it.” She said unwaveringly. 

The Death Eater stared at her for a moment before glaring around the rest of space. His gaze settled on the Quibbler in Neville’s hands. With a flourish, he snatched it up. 

“This is pro-Potter propaganda. I’ll have to confiscate it and any other documents of this nature.”

“That’s my last copy, sir.” Luna said with a glint in her silvery eyes. “You can take it if you want. I recommend the article on page 23, about blibbering humdingers. It’s rather informative.”

The Death Eater looked a little dumbstruck for a moment. “I...right. About your business.”

When the compartment door finally closed once more, Neville let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. 

“Luna, you really only brought one copy?” Neville asked skeptically. 

“No, I said that was my last copy. I’ve given one to every person on the train.”


	2. Draco and Luna

**DRACO**

Every day was like the next. A painful lie. Pretending life was perfect. That this was the ideal world. Not that every time he looked in the mirror he saw someone he hated. Not that his stomach had a perpetual pit in it. Not that he waited impatiently for every letter from his mother just to make sure she was still alive. 

Winning wasn’t supposed to be like this, Draco thought bitterly. His entire life he had been told that once the Dark Lord came back and took his rightful seat of power they would live like kings. That once the wrongs of the past were righted, it would all be worth it. 

But now he lived in fear for his and his parents’ lives as much as the blood traitors and muggle-borns did at school, even if he could never show it. He wasn’t supposed to show how the constant glares from the other houses sliced through his heart. How the ire his presence earned from most of the teachers ate at his conscience. Except the Carrows, of course, and McGonagall surprisingly. She had the power to make each of her students feel equal. She was his favorite. Even when Snape was a teacher, she was his favorite. Because he knew why Snape liked him. He hadn’t earned it. He’d been born to it. In McGonagall’s eyes he was the same as every student. It made the victories sweeter and failures harsher, but he didn’t receive the same look from her as he did his other professors. They looked with thinly veiled displeasure. She looked with sympathy. 

He wasn’t sure how long the lie had lasted. As a first and second year he was almost sure he had truly believed it. Maybe it was the end of second year, when the Weasley girl was saved from the Chamber of Secrets and he felt unsolicited relief in his bones. 

Or fourth year, when he was turned into a ferret. That certainly did its job, but not in the way he expected. McGonagall had stood up for him. He knew if it had been a Gryffindor in that position, Snape definitely would not have. 

Maybe it was fifth, when his father’s failure cost his family their rank in the Death Eaters. When he started fearing for his mother’s life. She was careful and probably one of the most talented occlumens in the world, though she hid it well, but he was still terrified. She may be able to hold her tongue when she or her father was threatened, but would she be able to when he was?

He wasn’t sure when. He wasn’t entirely sure he was right. He just knew he didn’t believe anymore. He had never had a real friend. He had Crabbe and Goyle, sure, which was fun for the first few years.  But he woke up alone one morning in sixth year, having accidently spent the night in the Room of Hidden Things. When he came down to breakfast he discovered no one had noticed he was gone...or no one had cared. He tried, as a rule, to not be jealous of anyone. He was not blind to his privilege. It was probably not well-known, another part of his flawlessly perfected act. The rare times it shined through were with minor things. Jealousy of a grade or a better broomstick. Never about one’s life. Maybe about one’s family. That morning he felt true, raw jealousy for the first time, and not for any specific person. For every person in Hogwarts who would be missed if they disappeared. Who would raise suspicion. 

When he came back to a different Hogwarts his seventh year, Draco vowed to try something different. He started spending more time with Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, both Slytherins in his year but lacking the same qualities as his former friends. Through them he started to meet more people outside of his circle. 

He turned a blind eye to the blatant defiance of the DA. The remaining Inquisitorial Squad was too dumb to put anything together and the Carrows were too egosistical to notice desent unless it appeared before their eyes. The only other person in the castle who was smart enough to notice and would possibly care was Snape, who seemed as determined to ignore it as he did. 

Three days into his winter holidays, he was inches from murdering his always-lurking, always-cackling aunt when a new prisoner was dragged into the Manor. Well, it was more like she glided. Dragging was definitely not the right word. It seemed more like she was leading her captors than they were leading her. 

Luna Lovegood. A notably strange sixth-year from Ravenclaw and one of the ring leaders of the new DA. Her usually impossibly flowy blonde hair was tangled and her wrists had bruises from her chains, but her head was held high. She surveyed the room like she was reading each one’s soul. Her cringe when she glanced over Bellatrix did not go unnoticed. He also didn't miss the open smile she gave him. For the first time in too long, his heart warmed involuntarily. 

“Wormtail, take the girl to the cellar.” Bellatrix ordered. His father hated when she waltzed around like she owned the place, but honestly, she kind of did. Of the Malfoy/Black family she was the only one close to the Dark Lord’s good graces. For all intents and purposes, she was the mistress of the house. 

She was then taken, again barely dragged, more like strolled, down to the cellar by Wormtail. 

Wormtail had once been Peter Pettrigrew, her mother explained to him one time. 

“He had once been best friends with James Potter and Sirius Black. He betrayed his friends and, if given a better offer, he would undoubtedly betray us. Treat him with respect, but do not trust him. Absolutely do not trust him.”

That night, when the house had quieted somewhat and Wormtail had crept off to wherever he slept at night, Draco crept down to the cellar. 

“Draco.” Garrick Ollivander greeted warmly when he appeared.

“Mr. Ollivander.” He returned a nod. 

The old wandmaker had never been treated illy by the Malfoy family, at the behest of his mother. What injuries he had were either old, poorly healed ones from the Dark Lord’s torture, and fresh one’s from Bellatrix’s uncontrollable rampages. Where his mother was subdued, her sister was opposite, he had learned in the two years she had lived with them. 

“Hello Draco.” Lovegood greeted cheerfully, as if she was not being held against her will in a cellar under his family home. “Happy Christmas.” 

He ignored her. “I brought you another loaf of bread, Mr. Ollivander, and some cheese and meats. As well as this month’s Wandmaker's Digest.” He could not fathom what kind of torture his family would sustain if the Dark Lord discovered he visited the prisoner and frequently brought him comforts of the civilized world. 

“Thank you, my boy. Ms. Lovegood, when was the last time you ate?”

“Oh, please, Mr. Ollivander. You need it more than I.” She said airily

Nevertheless, she took the piece of bread Ollivander offered her. 

Her eyes scanned Draco once more. It should have been unsettling, the feeling of being bared open like that. It had felt that way with Dumbledore, at least. He had a similar quality to his gaze, like he could see right through you. But with Luna it was different. Maybe she was looking for something different than Dumbledore had been. Whatever it was, her survey somehow left him feeling better, rather than more self-conscious. 

Ollivander crept off, trying to find the best spot to spend the night in. 

“I was taken from the platform.” Luna explained as she shoveled bread into her mouth.

He was about to retort: ‘Did I ask you?’ but something stopped him. 

“My daddy must be so worried about me. We were supposed to take a trip this holiday. I wonder what will happen to our deposits.” She frowned. He bottled a laugh. What a strange thing to be worried about. 

“I was staying somewhere else before, but I think they thought someone found us, because they moved me. Oh, I hope no one tried to come rescue me at the other place. I would feel so bad if they were disappointed when they got there.” 

This time he could contain his amusement. For the first time in what felt like forever, a true laugh bubbling from his chest. It wasn’t forced or cruel like it was at school, especially when he was assigned to punish the detention kids, which was code for blood traitors. It was freeing to feel that weight leave his shoulders. 

“You’re laughing at me.” Luna said blankly. “That’s alright. A lot of people laugh at me.”

“No, I mean...I didn’t mean it like that.”

What was he doing? He didn’t apologize. He didn’t ever become flustered. He shouldn’t even be speaking to her. 

Ollivander was slightly different in his parents’ eyes. He was more a strategic prisoner than anything else. He had no specific loyalties. Luna was just a blood traitor. He was not supposed to engage with her. Even his mother would balk at that. 

“You just...you’re so…” He trailed off. “I don’t know what.”

She nodded earnestly. “That’s alright. Sometimes it helps to talk about other things until the word comes to you. I forget the right word choice all the time.” 

He didn’t correct her. He wasn’t sure why exactly he was trying to be polite. If he was at school he would never even look twice at her, let alone try to be nice. 

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Hmmm…” She tapped her chin seriously. “You like potions right?”

He nodded. McGonagall may have secretly been his favorite teacher, but potions was still his favorite subject. Secretly, deep down, he wanted to be a potioneer at St. Mungo’s, trying to find the right combination of medicinal potions to save someone’s life. To do something good in the world to make up for all the bad he had let happen. 

“My mother was a potioneer.” Luna said. “She died when I was young, but I still remember a lot from what she taught me. Let’s talk about that.”

“Okay.” 

And they did. They talked that night and every night after that until he went back to Hogwarts. He almost marched up to Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley when he saw them on the train on the way back. He was about to spill his heart about the surprisingly wise young girl he had spent his holiday with, but something stopped him. Maybe it was his family, maybe it was his fear, maybe it was his own prejudices shining through. But he turned on his heel and walked away. Away from a shot, not the first nor the last, at redemption. 


	3. Neville and Seamus

**NEVILLE**

The room was too quiet. They were both thinking it, even if neither of them dared to say it. Ron snored, Dean was a mouth breather, and Harry moved around all night. It was too quiet. 

It had already been weird getting ready for bed with just the two of them. There had been plenty of nights where one of them was missing, spending a night in the hospital wing or called home suddenly. But it had never been just two and it had certainly never been just the two of them. 

Of all of his roommates, Seamus was probably the one Neville was least close to. Even their beds were on opposite sides of the room. The walk up to the common room hadn’t been strange since they had Ginny, Lavender, and Parvait by their sides. Even the climb to their room wasn’t that bad because Colin Creevey’s sixth year dorm was across the landing. The awkwardness came when they entered their room and realized there was no buffer left. They were alone in their room built for five. 

“Neville, you awake?” Seamus’s voice cut abruptly through the silence. 

“Yeah.”

“Do you think Dean’s alright?” Seamus said quietly. 

“I don’t know.” Neville forced down the lump in his throat. “I hope so.”

“He sent me a letter, you know. When they started rounding up muggle-borns he decided to not come back. Said he'd rather leave school than lie about who he was. How did the Creeveys' manage it?”

“I think Ginny found some Weasley ancestor their mum could have been related to.” Neville explained. “There’s enough Wealseys in the world that no one’s going to question that.”

Seamus barked a laugh. “‘Suppose so.”

For a second everything seemed to be okay, and then he decided to open his mouth. “I’m worried about Ginny.”

“Do you like her mate?”

Neville blushed involuntarily. “Not like that. I just mean...this is her first time at Hogwarts without one of her brothers, not to mention Ron is...ill.”

Seamus sat up in bed, a figure in the dark. “Just checking, he’s not right?”

“No Seamus, he most absolutely is sick at home with spattergroit.” Neville half growled, half joked. 

“Look, I’m sorry. Apparently I’m not as quick to this stuff as you are.”

Neville sighed, sinking into his pillow. “No, I’m sorry. It’s...today sucked.”

Seamus snorted. “I know what you mean. The whole way through Snape’s welcome speech I wanted to blow chunks. I kept on looking over my shoulder for Dean.”

“I kept on checking around for what Hermione thought of it. She was always a reliable bullshite meter.”

Seamus laughed out right at that one. “Did ya notice McGonagall’s face the whole time. I thought she was going to hex his face off.”

“Not as bad as Umbridge’s.”

“Barely. Those Carrows look nasty, though.”

Neville rubbed his eyes. “Ginny said they are just plainly Death Eaters. She fought the woman at the end of last year.”

“It’s still a school.” Seamus reminded him weakly, like he was trying to convince himself as well. “There’s nothing they can do to us. At least not with the other professors here.”

“I wouldn't be so sure. Hopefully they’ll intervene if it gets really bad but their jobs and lives are on the line too. Whatever power they have they’ll use to protect the younger kids. It’s up to us to protect ourselves.” Neville sat up completely, grabbed his wand, and muttered a quick lumos. “We need to keep everyone out of trouble. Cause problems for the Carrows and Snape without causing problems for the other teachers.” His eyebrow twitched. “We need to reform Dumbledore’s Army.”

“Are you insane?” Seamus whisper-shouted. “That’ll get us expelled for sure. Did you see they’ve brought back most of Umbridge’s Educational Decrees?”

He shrugged. “We did it under the radar for most of the year the first time. We could probably do it again. You saw what it was like out there. The first day, we haven’t even had any classes and everyone’s already losing hope. They need something to rally behind. Harry’s gone, but we’ve got the next best thing.”

By the glow of his wand, Seamus looked back at him with a skeptical expression. “Who do you suppose is going to lead it?”

“Us!” He declared excitedly. “The seventh years. Luna and Ginny can help, too, if they want. I mean, Harry did it when he was only a fifth year.”

“Yeah, but Harry’s bloody insane at Defense.”

“We’ve all got stuff we’re good at. There are some crazy defensive plants and elixirs they make that I know aren’t on the new herbology curriculum. I could teach that. Luna knows a lot about animals, even non-imaginary ones. She could teach us about which ones would be really helpful in dangerous situations. Ginny’s not bad at Defense and she’s got a real handle on her patronus. And I know you’re not half bad at charms. Even Lavender’s gotten good at transfiguration over the years with all those clothes and make-up spells. We could do it!” His excitement was growing with every word. “I bet we could get the teachers on board too, not officially, of course. But maybe we could get them to give us some supplementary stuff for NEWTs that we could take back and teach the underclassmen.”

Seamus hesitated, sighing loudly. “Neville...that might work, but...what about the consequences. I’m all for sticking it to Snape, but my mam...and we’ve got a lot of people already on thin ice. Michael Corner’s dad was arrested for being a muggle-born and Susan Bones’ sister is on the run with her muggle girlfriend.”

“Seamus…” Neville wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Harry was the one with the motivational speeches. “Some things are important enough.”

The other boy stared at him in the eye for a long time. 

“He won, Neville. It’s over.” Seamus said finally. 

“No it’s not!” Neville said a little louder than he intended. He dropped his voice once more. “The war isn’t over until we stop fighting. Until Harry is...until there’s nothing left. The war isn’t over. Not while there’s still people out there fighting.”

“Okay…” Seamus said softly after a beat. “Okay, I’m in as long as you are. I’ll back your play.”

He sighed, falling back against his bed. “Thank you.” 

They both extinguished their wands, allowing the darkness to outtake them. The moon was barely a sliver, but it was just enough to exude a small, comforting glow over the three empty beds. 

Neville wasn’t sure what possessed him, but he spoke again after a few moments. “I don’t want to wake up one day and I realize I didn’t do enough. Whatever’s the outcome...I want to be able to say that I did something. That I did the right thing.”

“If you live long enough.” Seamus murmured low enough that Neville didn’t think he was supposed to hear it. 

A few minutes passed but Neville didn’t fall asleep. Just sat there listening to an owl hooting in the distance and thinking about the gaping holes in their dormitory. 

“I miss Dean.” Seamus whispered after a stretch. 

“I know, mate. I know.”


	4. In Hiding

**GINNY**

Ginny flipped mindlessly through the book in front of her, not really reading any of it. It was the Easter holidays but it definitely didn’t feel like it. For the first time in her life, she had come home from Hogwarts to an empty house, save for her parents. Usually, she didn’t even come home for Easter, choosing rather to enjoy the castle without the chokehold of classes. Her parents insisted on her leaving this year, however, and she hadn’t argued. Most of the school left in fact. Any excuse to get out of the castle that was turning darker by the day. 

It was the first week of her holidays. Fred and George had come for dinner the night before and had promised to return for Easter, but other than that she hadn’t had any contact other than her parents. Bill and Fleur kept to themselves mostly. Partly because newly weds needed their space and partly because the more time they spent at the Borrow, the more they would be watched. Percy obviously hadn’t come home and Charlie was spending the holiday in Romania with his dragons (he was actually on a recruitment mission for the Order, but she could no longer utter duplicitous words like that in the Borrow). The only remnant of Ron was the dull groaning of the ghoul in his room. 

Her mum seemed determined to ignore the war, at least in the presence of her daughter. She forced an impossibly bright smile onto her face and recruited Ginny to every household project she came across. Her dad seemed the opposite. He traveled back and forth from work and spent what time he was home staring out the window, like he was trying to dare the eyes watching them to question him. Everything either of them said was meticulously worded, just like the letters she received from “Romulus and Flora.”

Their letters, so vague and careful, spoke in code of missing friends and the rapidly nearing birth of their child. Her own short, detailless messages to the DA preached vigilance and caution. 

Suddenly, a bright light flooded the living room as a falcon patronus flew through the window. 

Bill’s voice emerged, calm and clear. “Ron discovered. Go to the safehouse.”

The three human inhabitants of the house froze for a beat and then burst into action. Molly started barking orders to anyone who would listen. Arthur grabbed the bags packed by the door, filled with everything they could not stand to forget. Ginny flew up the stairs to her room to grab her final belongings. 

“Ginevra, take my arm and think of Muriel’s.” Arthur instructed. 

If it was any other moment she would have argued her independence and that she knew how to apparate and didn’t need special instructions. But now was not the time. 

Within minutes, and just as wizards began to descend on to the property, they were away with a snap. 

“You boys get that nonsense out of my house!” Auntie Muriel’s crotchety voice filled her ears the moment she felt her feet land on solid ground again. 

“We’re running a business here, Auntie. We need our supplies.” Fred argued. Beside him was a massive pile of boxes with the Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes logo on them. 

“Hullo, family. Beat you here.” George laughed as their parents tried to straighten their appearances. 

“Now Molly--” Muriel addressed her niece in a tizzy. 

“Auntie, we talked about this. You said we could stay here.” Ginny’s mum reasoned as calmly as physically possible. 

“As a safehouse. Not a place of business.” She sniffed. 

“Boys.” Arthur said sternly. “Clear this mess up.”

The twins rolled their eyes but obliged. Ginny oh so graciously offered to help them while their parents were ushered away by Muriel. 

“Do you know what happened?” She asked once she was sure they were out of earshot. 

“No idea.” Fred answered, magiking the boxes into the back room. “Just got a message from Bill.”

“‘Ron discovered. Go to the safehouse.’” George said in a rare good imitation of their oldest brother. 

“Do you think they’re alright?” She asked nervously. 

Fred’s gaze softened. “I’m sure they’re fine, Gin. If it was something more, Bill would have told us.”

“He barely told us anything.” She grumbled. 

“We all got here in time. That’s what matters.” George said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Unfortunately it was his wand arm and all the boxes it was lifting crashed to the floor. 

As if on cue, Molly appeared in the doorway and gave an exasperated sigh at the destruction. “Bill’s here.” She said soberly. 

They followed her anxiously down to the drawing room where Bill was leaning over an armchair, a glass of fire whiskey in his hand and blood coating his shirt. 

Molly made a strangled sound but Bill raised a hand.

“It’s not mine.” He said wearily. “But it’s not much better. It’s Hermione’s. She’s fine, just a little worse for wear. Everyone’s fine.”

It was as if everyone in the room released a collectively held breath. 

“They were nabbed by snatchers.” Bill continued. “Rough ones too. Greyback’s group we think, from what we could get out of them, and then were taken to the Malfoy’s. They’re all a bit shaken up.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Someone recognized Harry, or least they thought they did. Hermione did a stinger spell to mask his face so they waited a bit to call You-Know-Who. Probably saved their lives. She got the worst of it from Bellatrix because apparently she had something the Death Eaters want. I don’t know what.” He said, after noting their confused expressions. “Ron wouldn’t tell me. All I’ve got is the abridged version from him and the others.”

“How’s they get out?” George asked at the same time Ginny asked: “What others?”

Bill answered the first question, “A house elf Harry knew. Dobby, I think his name was.”

Fred grinned. “Yeah, we know Dobby. Worked in Hogwarts kitchen. Always good to grab us a few butterbeers.”

Bill’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry...he died in the process.”

Fred and George’s faces fell. 

Ginny fought the images of Harry’s grief ripping through her mind. She knew how much Dobby meant to him. 

“What others?” She repeated.

His face relaxed a tad, just enough to allow the ghost of a smile to shine through. “That’s the good news, I suppose. They managed to save the other people they were captured with and prisoners at Malfoy Manor. Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, Ollivander the wand maker, and a goblin named Griphook.”

Ginny’s stomach flipped in glee at the news that Luna and Dean were safe. She sank into a chair, allowing the reserved tension to release. 

Bill turned to his parents. “Mum, do you have any medicinal potions? We’re running low.”

“Who else is injured?” She asked urgently. 

“Hermione’s back on her feet but is still weak. Griphook’s legs aren’t in good shape. Ollivander seems the worst off.” He reported clinically as Molly led him to one of the bags they had taken from the Borrow. 

“Here.” She said, pulling out a small pouch. “Tell Fleur to take as much as she needs to replenish her stocks and keep the rest. Muriel’s has a virtual stockpile of potions.”

“Thanks.” He said, turning towards the door. “I’ll send you an update by patronus when I can.”

“ Wait!” Ginny chased after him, grabbing his arm before he disparated. “Can I come back with you?”

“Ginny, I…” Bill looked to their parents for guidance. 

Arthur gave a slight shake of his head. 

“Why not?” She cried. 

“No unnecessary travel.” Her dad explained regretfully. “And I’m sure the cottage is already overcrowded as it is.”

“I can help Fleur. I won’t be a bother! Please.” She begged. 

“I’m sorry, Gin.” Bill said, glancing apologetically at her. 

“Can you at least--” She breathed slowly, trying to regain her composure. “Can you give Luna this galleon? It’s important.” She pulled her own coin from its permanent position in her pocket and gave it to him. 

Bill looked a bit like she had lost her mind but dutifully took it. With nod to the family, he set down his glass and walked out the door. 

“Ginny--” Her mother began to say, but Ginny was already gone. 

She flew from the room, back to the front hall where she had dropped her bag. Without speaking to anyone, she scurried up the stairs to the bedroom she usually stayed in when they, on extremely rare occasions, visited Auntie Muriel. From the bag she pulled her spare faux gold galleon. 

First she sent a DA wide message:

[LL found and safe. DT confirmed alive and well. Trio confirmed alive. Wait for updates.]

Then to Neville she sent another message:

[RW discovered. Family in hiding. Not going back to school.]

In an instant she had a response. 

[Stay safe. Don’t worry about DA. We’ll keep the fight going.]

Dear Lord, she hoped that was true. 


	5. The Sword I

**The Sword I:** **Ginny**

“You will spend your detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.” Snape declared snidely. 

Ginny blinked. Detention with Hagrid? The Forbidden Forest was nothing to scoff at but with Hagrid? It would be a breeze. 

She suspected Neville and Luna were having similar thoughts. Luna especially. She liked to wander the forest for fun. This was barely anything, particularly given what they were being punished for. 

It was Neville’s idea. To him the Sword of Gryffindor wasn’t just a symbol of the house, it was a symbol of Dumbledore and Harry as well. She didn’t argue, but she was now wondering what he would have done if they had managed to steal it without getting caught. It wasn’t like they could display it in the common room. The Room of Requirement maybe? 

But they hadn’t succeeded. Everything had been going to plan. Padma and the Ravenclaws had managed a clever bit of spellwork to trick Snape into thinking Alecto needed to see him. They had waited for a night when Goyle was on patrol outside the Headmaster’s office, figuring he would be easiest to get out the way. Ginny had argued doing it on a day Zabini or Greengrass had patrol since they were the most likely to turn a blind eye but she was outvoted. Everyone else thought it was better to antagonize the Slytherins than make peace. She wasn’t so sure. 

That ended up being the lynchpin to their entire plan. Apparently, Goyle’s private Dark Arts lessons with the Carrows were paying off. Just before Neville was about to knock him out, Goyle sounded the alarm. Ginny and Luna were already in Snape’s office, having unforeseen difficulty getting the sword out of its case. 

The Inquisitorial Squad had flooded the scene. Ginny suspected she was lucky Malfoy was the first up to the Headmaster’s office. If it had been Crabbe or Goyle or the Carrows...they might not still be there. 

Neville had earned a bleeding lip from Goyle but was relatively unharmed otherwise. They were all dragged to the Headmaster’s office, officially this time. 

Mercifully, Dumbledore was absent from his portrait. Ginny wasn’t sure she could handle his narrowing stare at the moment. 

“You are suspended from class today and will serve your detention tonight.” Snape finished, glaring at them with fervor. “That was a remarkably stupid plan. I suspect it was your work Longbottom?”

Neville nodded tightly. He had always feared Snape, but now that fear had morphed into rage. 

“Typical. You will go back to your dormitories and stay there until Hagrid summons you. Your guardians will be contacted and these deplorable actions will remain on your permanent records. Do I make myself clear?”

The three of them were stone faced but nodded. By the end of this year, Ginny figured, her permanent record would be as long as Fred and George’s combined. 

The day passed in silence. Romilda stopped in briefly with a pitying stare but went on her way. A house elf brought her meals plus a stack of missed homework. All the while, Ginny flipped absentmindedly through her textbooks, trying to figure out what Snape’s angle was. For any other student, maybe, a trip to the Forbidden Forest was terrifying, but for them...Snape must know that it wasn’t so bad, especially with Hagrid. 

She cancelled the DA meeting that night on advice from Seamus that tensions were running high. It would probably be best to lay low for a few weeks until these start to calm down again. 

Around 7 o’clock an owl tapped on her window with a summons from Hagrid. It was well past dark and the noise from the common room was starting to pick up as everyone made their way back from dinner. 

She met Neville on the landing and they made their way down the stairs. She thought about speaking up, trying to convince him it wasn’t his fault, but it seemed to be no use. Even though he tried to hide it, she could see his eyes were rimmed with red. He kept avoiding her gaze. Luna joined them in the entrance hall. She seemed more frazzled than usual. Ginny wanted more than anything for her to say something bizarre to distract her, but Luna seemed determined to keep her mouth shut. A foreboding sense of dread seemed to surround the trio as they walked across the dimly lit field to Hagrid’s small glowing hut. 

“Evening.” He grunted when they arrived. 

“Hey Hagrid.” Neville said weakly. 

“You three alright?” 

“Never better.” Ginny deadpanned. 

Hagrid snorted what sounded like a grim chuckle, “The Headmaster,” He spat. “Has asked us to patrol the border between Hogwarts’ land and the centaur's territories. They’re getting restless, everything in the forest is, but hopefully we shouldn’t have much trouble.”

And they didn’t. Hagrid led them deep into the forest. He and Luna kept up an animated conversation about bowtruckle breeding to pass the time. He asked Ginny once about how her brothers were doing but that was closest they came to referencing the Order. It was nearing midnight when they emerged. 

“Hagrid,” Ginny asked once they exited the tree line. “How often are patrolling the centaurs?”

His beetle-black eyes dropped grimly. “Nearly every night. If I don’t do it, they’ll get someone else, and no one would rather that.”

She understood the implication. Hagrid was what was standing in the way of a massacre, in both directions. 

“Get up to the castle, quick as you can.” He said, his eyes scanning the castle the same caution anyone else would survey the forest with. “And try to stay out of trouble.”

Ginny and Neville shared a look. 

“Same to you.” Ginny said quietly. 

Hagrid looked back at her. “Don’t you kids worry about me. I’ve survived worse.”

She didn’t argue because she wasn’t sure she could. The trio set off stoically towards the castle. 

Hogwarts was glowing softly in the distance. Throughout the year, the fires seemed to glow a little weaker, like the magic that sustained them was fading. 

“When do we stop?’ Luna asked abruptly. 

“What do you--do you mean stop fighting?” Neville said incredulously. 

“We stop when we’re dead. Or when they are. Whichever comes first.” Ginny interrupted definitively. 

She ignored Luna’s wide eyes. Ginny was tired. It was only October 11th and she was exhausted. For the first time, she didn’t have tolerance for Luna’s endearing naivety. Ginny knew better than most at Luna was  _ not _ stupid and was  _ not _ innocent. But sometimes she could not stand her nonchalance. Sometimes she just seemed so much younger than Ginny. She knew it was her defense mechanism. She saw the world differently, and usually Ginny loved it, but not now. She just didn’t have the patience for it. 

“We fight until we win or until there’s nothing left.” She continued fiercely. 

“I understand Ginny.” Luna said wearily, if that was possible. For the first time in...well, ever, Luna’s voice sounded like it had a bit of weight to it. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She hopped off in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. 

Ginny closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. “She’s not wrong, you know.”

Neville looked thoroughly scandalized. “How could you say that?”

“Nev...you’re out this year. You’ve got six years of education and a shot of making to the end.” Ginny continued climbing the steps with Neville hurrying after her. “Me...either I’m stuck here for another year and a half or I’m not. Look, what I’m saying is...my family’s not going to last much longer out there.”

“Then why did you try to convince Luna?”

She gave a half smile. “Maybe I was trying to convince myself.”

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Alecto Carrow’s malicious voice shook her to the core. “What are you doing out after curfew?” 

“We were serving detention with Hagrid.” Neville explained calmly, producing his slip from his robes. 

Carrow snatched it out of his hand. Slowly, her face morphed into a horrible, twisted smile. “There must be some mistake.” She said sweetly. “Your punishment is not complete. Follow me.”

Bile bubbled in Ginny’s throat. Amycus was a psychopath, but Alecto...she was a different breed all together.

Ginny and Neville exchanged equally terrified looks but followed her in the direction that they came. They were climbing deeper and deeper into the depths of the castle towards the dungeons. She felt Neville tense beside her and she wrapped her fingers around his arm. She prayed that Luna made it to her house before someone found her. 

The walk to the dungeons had made her hair stand up on end since she was eleven. The eerie green glow from the lake looked too similar to the Chamber for her comfort. She had found long and hard to forget that time in her life but it still shimmered in the back of her mind. The horrible feeling of being out of control, of not caring for anything except to serve, to do as she was told. 

They were going to a part of the dungeons she had never been. She thought vaguely that this was the place Terry Boot had been taken when he argued with Alecto that first week in Muggle Studies. He had just been kept there for a few days. Somehow, she thought they wouldn’t be as lucky. 

The walls of the dark chamber were lined with chains and spattered with dark spots. Somewhere deep from her buried memories she produced an image of decades-old dried blood on the walls of the Chamber of Secrets, left over from Tom Riddle’s reign of terror when he was a teenager. She wondered horrifically how long that blood had been there and who it had belonged to. 

The room wasn’t empty. There were a number of looming forms. In the dim light she made out Slytherin ties and Inquisitorial Squad badges as well as madly penetrating eyes. She thanked whoever was listening that there was no flash of Luna’s silvery eyes in the heap. 

“Take them.” Alecto ordered and the bodies swarmed. 

Neville’s arm was ripped away from her hand as she felt the air leave her lungs. His face was drifting further away from her in the crowd of Slytherins and monsters. 

“Professor Snape enacted the punishment he felt fit for you. Now I will insure you receive the punishment you deserve.” Carrow sneered. 

“Get your hands off me!” Ginny cried, punching and kicking in all directions. 

One of her punches hit solid flesh to the owner's grunt and subsequent growl. 

“Now class,” Carrow’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Oooo! I do.” Pansy Parkinson said eagerly. “Longbottom is easy. Do you know what happened to his parents?”

Someone laughed cruelly. Amycus, Ginny thought bitterly. On impulse, she clenched her knees together. 

“A wonderful idea, Ms. Parkinson.” Alecto continued. “ _ Crucio! _ ”

Neville’s roar tore her heart in two. It was lingering, staying in the air once the noise had faded, but almost immediately after howl ended, another began. Each was harsher than the next. Ginny’s visions went red with rage. 

Time wasn’t passing, or maybe it was, but the minutes and hours blended together. 

“And for the Weasley girl?”

“We have the perfect plan.” Parkinson continued. “Gregory, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course. _ Imperious. _ ”

And the world went blank. 

She was floating. It felt nice, gentle. It was so different than she had felt moments ago. The ball of tension that had been steadily growing between her shoulders blades didn’t feel so tight anymore. She liked it. She missed it. 

Her arm stung lightly, but she ignored it. Why would she worry about pain when she felt so good. She felt so calm. 

_ Control. You need control.  _ A little voice whispered in her mind. She ignored it. It was nice to not have to think for a little bit. 

_ Stop! What the hell are you doing? Can’t you see? _

No, she couldn’t, but she didn’t care. The world around her was peacefully blank. There were no worries, no death, no Harry, no Tom…

No Tom. No Tom. No Tom. There was no Tom. Who was Tom? Did he do something to her?

_ Yes! He stole you. He took bits away from you until you were nothing. _

That’s not very nice. 

_ They’re doing it again. They're taking bits away from you.  _

I don’t want to leave. I like it like this. 

_ NO YOU DON’T! I WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN! _

Like with Tom?

_ YOU NEED TO FIGHT! _

It wasn’t calm. It was cold. It was lonely. It was dark. 

Not again. Not again. Not again. 

Ginny tore herself away from the wall. The stinging in her arm magnified tenfold as she realized she was coated in her own blood. 

“How did she--” Someone said. The searing pain in her arm and the pounding in her head blurred her vision. 

“We’ll have to deal with her the old-fashioned way.”

There was another bout of white hot pain and she slipped away. 


	6. The Sword II

The tingling was incessant, burning his skin long after the knives in his stomach stopped pounding. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire. That was the thing about the Cruciatus curse, it stayed with you. There were other pain curses, but none that festered in your body so deeply. That was why the Unforgivables were so terrible. Just once and your victim was changed forever. 

The Cruciatus was his demon, but Ginny…

He opened his eyes a crack. And then closed them immediately. 

This was his fault. It was his plan. Ginny had questioned him. She had considered the timing, the impact, the statement. He just wanted to do something. He needed to do something. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, wherever they were, were doing something important. Something that he had faith in would deal a lasting blow to Voldemort. His parents had done something important. They had fought on the front lines in their war when they were not much older than him, with an infant at home. Even Dean was sticking it to the Ministry by going on the run. And what was he doing? Sitting in a classroom glaring at a Death Eater. Teaching third-years about Venomous Tentacula. Running around with his friends setting dungbombs and painting on walls. It wasn’t much, but he wanted to do more. 

He was trying to prove something, but he wasn’t exactly sure to whom. 

He forced his eyes open once more, taking in the horrific scene before him. 

The room was lighter now and he could see more of his captor’s faces. All of the usual suspects. The Carrows, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson at the forefront with other Slytherins and few scattered Ravenclaws watching on in interest. Malfoy was standing to the side with Zabini looking paler than usual, but even he couldn’t turn away. 

Ginny was standing as stiff as a board, staring blankly at Goyle. His wand was out and his eyes were gleaming with madness. 

He flicked his hand and she walked to the wall, placing her hand against it. 

“Cut.” Goyle said venomously. Ginny’s other hand floated up. Neville’s stomach churned at Ginny took a small knife and cut clean down her arm. Her face was pale and unchanging. 

“Write.” Goyle jeered. 

Ginny took her hand and swiped it down the gash in her opposite forearm. With two fingers she began to write on the wall in her own blood. 

Neville knew instantly what they were forcing her to write. The words found in the corridor on Halloween night were permanently etched into the memories of every person at Hogwarts that year. 

‘The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir...Beware.’

She was halfway through when she stopped, her face contorting. She pulled away from the wall suddenly, the hand that had been writing clutching the massive slice down her other arm. 

“How did she--” Goyle asked in shock. 

Alecto’s eyes were huge, but she just sniffed haughtily, “We’ll have to deal with her the old-fashioned way.” 

Carrow raised her wand and cackled. A stream of burning red lightning emerged from the tip, hitting Ginny full force. She dropped to the ground like a rock. The lightning hit her knee directly, creating a large gash. 

Neville swallowed down vomit as he heard a powerful crack. Ginny’s leg had shattered. He had already thrown-up once that night uncontrollably when he was being tortured. He would not give them the satisfaction of doing it again. 

“Stop!” To Neville’s unmitigated surprise, it was Draco Malfoy who finally spoke up. “They’ve had enough.” He stepped forward, nearly putting his body between Ginny and Alecto. “They’re pureblood from powerful families--”

“They’re blood traitors--”

“The Dark Lord,” That got everyone’s attention. Eyes fluttered to Malfoy’s left forearm. “Had decree that no magical blood be spilled in waste. That is enough.” He distinctly. 

Alecto glared at him. For a moment it seemed like she was going to hex him too, but eventually she dropped her wand. 

“See to it that these urchins find their way back to their house.” She declared, traipsing out of the room. 

Malfoy stared at her exiting form for a moment before turning back to the others. “Zabini, Greengrass, see if you can help Weasley. I’ll grab Longbottom.” He turned to the rest of the room. “Rest of you...bugger off and never speak of this again. If I hear one word of it tomorrow, you’ll have me to answer to.”

Malfoy grasped his arm roughly and pulled him to his feet. He twisted his head around to check on Ginny but was shoved away. 

The walk to the Gryffindor common room seemed longer than ever before. Malfoy practically had to drag him up the stairs. The sun was just visible glowing beyond the Quidditch pitch. Somehow, that torture had lasted almost the entire way through the night. He heard Blaise and Daphne struggling with something behind him. He tensed in between Ginny’s groans, terrified that they would stop forever. 

When they finally made it the Fat Lady’s portrait she was snoring softly. 

Malfoy made a move to drop him but Neville held on. He gripped him tightly and put his lips to the other boy’s ear. 

In the loudest voice he could muster. “Why are you doing this?”

Malfoy grunted and released him. “Because it’s not worth it. Here.” He flicked something at Neville. “It’s a potion for Weasley. Make sure she gets it soon.”

“Draco.” Daphne said. She and Zabini were easing a half conscious Ginny to the floor. “We need to take them to the Hospital Wing.”

He shook his head. “Alecto said take them to their house. That’s all we can do.” If Neville didn’t know any better, he would say Malfoy sounded regretful. 

Blaise down glanced at Neville with pity. “Someone’ll be around soon. Gryffindors are always up early.”

Neville snorted with whatever energy he had left. Oh how wrong was he. 

Malfoy nodded to his companions and started to walk away. Just before he was out of sight, he turned back to them. 

“Longbottom. This is the last time I put my neck out for you. Don’t ever do something that stupid again.” 


	7. The Sword III

**SEAMUS**

He wasn’t in his bed. He wasn’t in the bathroom. He wasn’t even in the common room. 

Neville hadn’t come back that night. 

It was the earliest in the morning Seamus had ever gotten up...ever. The only other person awake was Margaret Fulporb, a fourth-year who inexplicably liked to do her homework at the crack ass of dawn. But now he was awake and Neville wasn’t there and Ginny probably wasn’t either. 

They hadn’t come back that night. 

So there was no way he was going back to bed again. 

Out of nostalgia or maybe wishful thinking he decided to check outside the portrait hole. Back when things were simpler, there had been a number of nights Neville had slept outside because he had forgotten the password. That rarely happened now (but more times than you would think) and definitely didn’t happen when Ginny was with him. But nevertheless, he did. 

He swore on his beloved grandmam’s grave that he had never been happier to see Neville Longbottom’s ugly mug than that moment. Of course that all fell apart when he saw Neville crawling towards Ginny’s body or the massive gash in Ginny’s leg or her frighteningly pale complexion. But he decided he was going to hold onto the feeling for a while because he wasn’t going to get a moment like that again. 

“The potion, the potion.” Neville was muttering incessantly. 

“Mate, what the hell?”

“The potion. She needs the potion.” He shoved it into Seamus’ hands. 

Well, she definitely did. It was an extremely powerful potion. One part blood replenishing, one part clotting, and, given the slice to her arm and the hole missing from her knee, she was in desperate need of both. 

“How long has she been like this?” He asked urgently. Padma Patil had been educating them all on some basic healing practices since she was already studying to be a mediwitch. 

“I don’t know.” Neville said weakly. “I don’t know...a while.” He seemed to be close to losing consciousness as well. 

“Where did the potion come from?”

“I, uh, Malfoy?”

“Malfoy?!”

“Seamus!” Neville groaned. “She’s dying anyway. Please, just give it to her.”

Dutifully, but a little begrudgingly, Seamus pried open Ginny’s mouth and poured the green liquid in. Some of it dribbled out, mixed with drool and a concerning amount of blood. 

Okay, onto the next. 

“Can you walk? Just enough to get inside?” 

“I...I think so.”

Seamus was not convinced. “I’ll come back for you, okay? I just need to help Ginny.” 

Her body was like a ragdoll against his. For a lot of last year he had resented Ginny. She was this beautiful, talented girl dating his...best friend. She had been the topic of a bunch of his and Dean’s fights for a while. But after the last month, he could imagine his life without her. She was rock of the DA. Not just the principal teacher, but the one keeping them all together. She better than anyone understood exactly what they were fighting for. 

He tried to sit her down slowly and then sprinted to Margaret Fulporb who had watched the entire exchange with terrified eyes. 

“I need you to get Lavender and Parvati, okay? If they yell at you for waking them up, tell them it’s an emergency and I sent you.” She just stared at him. “Please, Margaret, now!”

She leapt from her seat in terror and scrambled up the stairs. 

With one more look at Ginny to make sure she was still breathing he returned to Neville. The poor kid was trying to hoist himself in the portrait hole. Seamus gripped one of his arms and dragged him to his feet. 

“Thanks, mate.” Neville managed before collapsing in a chair. 

“Seamus, what the fuck!?” Lavender Brown shrieked at him as she descended the stairs. Whatever more protests were stuck in her throat as she got a better look at the scene. 

“I’ll call Padma!” Pavati yelped and shot back to her room. 

“What happened? Was this from their detention?” Lavender demanded. She fluttered to Ginny’s side, rotating her severely injured arm to get a better look. She gave a solid groan in response, at the very least confirming that she was still alive. 

“I have no idea.”

“It wasn’t.” Neville grunted. “It was extra credit.”

Lavender and Seamus share an anxious look. Maybe Neville had finally gone off his rocker. 

“Padma’s on the way with Luna. Said as long as she doesn’t run into the Carrows or Filch she’s fine. I think Michael and Terry are going to run interference just in case.” Parvati asserted once she arrived back down. 

Some more kids were starting to filter out of their dormitories to see what the commotion was about. 

“Colin!” Seamus called once the boy emerged. “Come help me get Neville up to our room.”

“M’ fine.”

“No you’re not, now shut up.”

Colin looked a bit stunned by rush to aid, taking Neville’s other arm. Lavender and Parvati managed to hoist Ginny enough to get her up the stairs as well.

Neville dropped like a rock of the bed, his eyes finally shutting completely. The girls got Ginny on to one of the other empty beds but seemed significantly less restful. Her soft moaning had evolved into full on shaking. 

As if on cue, Padma Patil burst through the door. 

“How did you manage it get here so fast?” Seamus asked incredulously. 

She shot him an unimpressed look. “Is now really the time?”

He looked down sheepishly, but the direction of his emotion changed when he noticed her companion. 

“Greengrass?” He gritted his teeth. “You brought an outsider here?”

“Astoria is in training like me.” Padma said coolly. “With what Parvati described...I figured we need all the hands we can get.”

The fifth year Ravenclaw looked rather out of place in a group of red-faced Gryffindors but she seemed to take it in stride. 

“Is Neville conscious?” Padma asked. “I’ll take that groan as a yes. And Ginny?”

“Hasn’t been fully since I found her.” Seamus offered. 

Astoria examined Ginny’s cut arm. “It’s been healed.”

Padma leaned over. “You’re right.” She looked up at the members of the room. “Did you do that?”

They all shook their heads. 

“No…”Astoria murmured. “I know this...my sister healed this wound. I taught her the spell.” She glanced at Ginny’s leg. “Probably tried here too...she slowed the bleeding, thank goodness, but...I guess it wasn’t enough for a wound this size.”

“Greengrass.” Neville grunted. “She, Zabini, and Malfoy brought us up. Probably didn’t want to be trailing blood through the castle.”

“Or maybe Slytherins aren’t all bad.” Astoria defended immediately, but she closed her eyes and continued. “And she’s clotting? That was their doing as well”?”

Seamus could answer this one. “Malfoy left a potion with Neville.”

“It probably saved her life.” Padma reasoned, poking around Ginny’s leg. She tried to tap it and Ginny let out a bloodcurdling scream. 

“Laven--” Seamus began. 

She looked rather white, but she nodded and left her room to check on the rest of the house. 

“It’s broken.” Padma said dejectedly. “I’m sure of it. There’s not much more we can do except call Madame Pomfrey.”

“No.” Neville and, to everyone’s surprise, Ginny said at the same time. 

She was propped up on her forearms in bed, staring uncomfortably at the assortment of people watching her. Luna had somehow materialized by her head and was pulling bits of dried blood from Ginny’s hair. 

“We can’t tell anyone.  _ We can’t _ .” Ginny stated. “If we tell someone...we just can’t. Padma, I have faith in you. This is what you’ve been prepping for. And Astoria, I trust you to make the right decision here. Besides, I’m not sure it’s even that--” Her gaze finally made it to her knee. She sank back down against the pillow. “Okay, maybe it is.”

Astoria looked outraged, but Padma stopped her. “She’s allowed to make her own decisions now that she’s awake. Even if I hate them.” She growled. 

She still looked uneasy. “If we keep the wound covered your arm should heal on its own.” Astoria explained, “Your leg is a different story. We need...”

Padma sighed when Astoria’s voice dropped. Seamus saw some tear droplets forming at the corner of Padma’s eyes. “We’re going to need to find some more Blood-Replenishing potion at some point, that’s non-negotiable. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, so some pain relief . But first...we need to set your leg.”

Ginny winced. “You can do that?”

Padma and Astoria exchanged looks. “We can try. If it’s a clean break it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, even if it’ll hurt like nothing you’ve felt before. If it’s not...we’ll deal with that if it comes to it.” Padma said, twisting her neck around to address the swell of people at the door. “We need everyone out. Even you two.” She said to Neville and Luna. 

Neville shook his head resolutely. 

Seamus finally stepped in. “Come on, mate. You look dead on your feet. Let’s get you some food.” He nodded to Colin and they both lifted the grumbling boy up. Despite allowing himself to be escorted out, Neville complained the entire time, glancing cautiously back at Ginny.

“Luna?” Seamus heard Padma asked before he closed the door. 

“I’m staying.”

Seamus looked down the staircase towards the growing crowd of students below. Considering the number of first-years gathered in a circle by the fireplace, he muttered a quick: ‘ _ Muffliato _ ,’ before helping Neville into the sixth-years boy dormitory. 

“You alright, mate?” He asked as he lowered Neville onto the bed. 

His eyes went unfocused for a second and he shook his head. 

“What happened down there?” Seamus asked hesitantly. 

Neville shivered. “Something awful.”

Despite Seamus’ well-cast silencing charm, they could still hear Ginny Weasley’s muffled screams. 


End file.
